Finding Your Natural Stance

06/15/1389

The best way I have found to help you find a natural and comfortable stance upon which to build your shot is the following:
First of all what is the purpose of the stance? The purpose of the stance other than keeping your ass off the ground is to align your upper body to the target without bending or twisting at the waist, shoulders, arms and neck. In other words we are going to find a foot position that automatically puts the upper body on the line. Remember that torquing is the enemy of accuracy.

Do this:
Take a broom and unscrew the head. Take the broom handle like a big arrow. Hold one end between your fingers Mediterranean style and bring it up to your face anchor. Hold out your left arm and place the other end of the broom handle on your hand like you are shooting off-hand.
Now look at something on the wall like you're going to aim at it. Put up your arms and broom handle.

If you're right handed you should see the broom is pointing well to the left of where you're looking. Without twisting at the waist or shoulders, take your right foot and start to take little steps back, and around behind you to the left.

As you step back and left with the right foot you will see the broom tip swing right. When your foot finds the right place the broom handle will line up to the target without any twisting in the upper body. Now you're lined up without torquing so look down and see where your feet are positioned. That is your personal natural stance. From then on when you approach a target put your feet in that position and your upper body will be automatically in position to begin its shot sequence.

Bending the front knee is the best way I've found to fine-tune aligning your upper body to the target without torquing. Now that you have established a natural and comfortable foot position, you will still often find that when you put the bow up the arrow tip is still pointing to the left of the target. This is because your string hand, holding the arrow is to the right of your head.

Try this:
Look at the wall, put the bow up, see the arrow point left.Do not twist the upper body in any way, but bend the front knee to the right, leaning forward slightly. When swinging the knee to the right you will notice the tip of the arrow also swinging to the right. When the arrow swings onto the target stop bending your knee and you will find yourself directly lined up to the target.
Now you are ready to start your draw.